The two teams battle for a loose ball in the first half. Michigan vs Villanova in the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on April 2, 2018. Villanova wins, 79-62.
(Robin Buckson / Detroit News) Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Zavier Simpson and Michigan will play Norfolk State on Nov. 6 at Crisler Center in what will likely serve as the season-opener as part of the 2018 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Michigan's Mortiz Wagner comes out of the game near the end of the second half during the Wolverine's 79-62 loss to Villanova during the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on April 2, 2018. Daniel Mears, Detroit News

Michigan head coach is carted to the post game interview with his wife Kathleen after the game. Michigan vs Villanova in the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on April 2, 2018. Villanova wins, 79-62.
(Robin Buckson / Detroit News) Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Apparel and merchandise sales at the M Den, Michigan’s official merchandise retailer, were brisk coming off the Wolverines’ second straight Big Ten tournament title. And after Jordan Poole’s buzzer-beating shot catapulted the Wolverines into the Sweet Sixteen, the race to buy went up a notch.

“It was nuts,” M Den owner Scott Hirth said. “Fans were really fired up for this team and they loved the Big Ten champs, Sweet Sixteen and Final Four merchandise we had.”

According to research from the Ann-Arbor based company Joyce Julius & Associates, which measures and analyzes all forms of media, from the beginning of the Big Ten tournament through the day after the national championship game in which the Wolverines fell to Villanova, they were mentioned in 80,950 news media stories (television, internet, print).

The company calculates the exposure value of a brand and translates that into the amount it would have cost to obtain that exposure through traditional advertising.

“If you compare the cumulative audience from the media coverage to the cost reaching the same audience through traditional advertising, the exposure value of the coverage approaches an estimated $125 million,” said Eric Wright, president and director of Joyce Julius Research. “Additionally, the national game telecasts, from the Big Ten tournament through the (NCAA) championship game, easily increase the exposure value for Michigan another $20-$30 million.”

The 80,000-plus mentions are an “extremely high” number, Wright said.

What does it mean tangibly for the Michigan basketball program and the athletic department overall? It means they were the subject of a significant number of news stories, but beyond that, it’s mainly an ego stroke.

“It’s a nice brag number for Michigan,” Wright said. “It doesn’t mean anything too tangible, but it is impressive. Nobody else in the Big Ten went that far (in the NCAA Tournament). The other programs are not getting covered those weeks, so they’re alone in the spotlight for that. It doesn’t hurt.”

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, G, senior: Abdur-Rahkman is the example of a player who continued to improve over the course of his career. A reliable and steady presence, he averaged a career-high 12.9 points per game, ranked second nationally with a 4.4 assist turnover ratio and was the one the team turned to in late-game situations to make a play. Replacing him will be difficult because he was the glue guy who also did all the little things that often don’t show up in the stat sheet. Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Duncan Robinson, F, senior: Robinson, the Big Ten sixth man of the year, began the season as a starter before moving to the bench. He made a team-high 78 3-pointers, shot 38.4 percent from the beyond the arc and his post defense was often overlooked for a three who was often playing the four. He became the first player to appear in both the Division III and Division I title game, where he finished his career on a sour note with a scoreless outing. Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Jaaron Simmons, G, senior: Simmons was believed to be the frontrunner for the starting point guard spot when he transferred from Ohio, but it never came to fruition due to the time it takes to fully grasp coach John Beilein’s intricate offense. His minutes fluctuated over the first half of the season before he took over the backup role and delivered in a couple key moments in the NCAA Tournament. Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Moritz Wagner, C, junior: The All-Big Ten second-team selection posted 10 20-point games and led the Wolverines in scoring (14.6 points), rebounding (7.1) and 3-point shooting (39.4 percent). He racked up 40 points and 22 rebounds in the Final Four in what could potentially be his last games in a Michigan uniform. He’ll likely declare for the NBA Draft, where he’s projected as a mid-to-late second-round pick, but there’s no guarantee he’ll leave early. Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Austin Davis, C, sophomore: Davis played sparingly as the third big man and usually saw the floor only if Moritz Wagner and Jon Teske were both in foul trouble or in mop-up duty late in games. Still, he’ll need to improve at defending without fouling as he was whistled 15 times in 50 minutes. His real value, though, was the work he did in practice battling and preparing Wagner and Teske for each and every game. Dale G Young, Detroit News

Charles Matthews, G/F, redshirt sophomore: Matthews shined throughout the nonconference slate, hit some rough patches in Big Ten play and regained his luster in the NCAA Tournament, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the West Region. He had his run-ins with free throw and turnover woes, but still finished as the team’s second-leading scorer (13 points) and rebounder (5.5), and his defensive versatility was a boon. He could dip his toes in the NBA Draft waters and could be poised for an even bigger season if he returns. Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Zavier Simpson, G, sophomore: Simpson lost the starting point guard role five games into the season and never looked back once he regained it early in Big Ten play. He continually set the tone on the defensive end by flustering opponents with his relentless effort and never shying away from a challenge. However, he has noticeable flaws on the offensive end. He struggles to create his own shot off the dribble and shot a team-worst 51.6 percent from the free-throw line and 28.6 percent from 3-point range. Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Jon Teske, C, sophomore: The 7-footer immediately gave Michigan a defensive boost and an increased post presence the second he stepped on the floor. Teske tied for the team lead with 26 blocks and wasn’t relied upon to be a scoring option but showed that he can knock down 15-footers. He gained some valuable starting experience in a couple games and could be in for a much larger role next season depending on Moritz Wagner’s NBA decision. Julie Jacobson, Associated Press

Ibi Watson, G, sophomore: Minutes were hard to come by for Watson because he played behind Charles Matthews and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, who led the team in playing time, and was jumped by freshman Jordan Poole in the rotation. He split time at the two and three positions and will provide needed depth at both spots next season. Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Eli Brooks, G, freshman: Brooks took over the starting point guard spot during the Maui Invitational and held it for 12 games before Zavier Simpson reassumed the role. He eventually hit a freshman wall and saw his role decrease further when Jaaron Simmons became the main backup. Over the final 20 games, he received 10 DNPs and played more than five minutes just once. He finished the season with a 2.3 assist turnover ratio but shot a team-worst 24.4 percent from 3-point range. Marco Garcia, Associated Press

Isaiah Livers, F, freshman: Livers worked his way off the bench the second half of the season after scoring 35 points in a three-game stretch, but he was never able to provide the same type of lift as starter. He scored just four points during the NCAA Tournament, yet continued to make an impact with his defensive versatility. His bread and butter was the corner 3-pointer, but he’ll need to work being more aggressive and get to the free-throw line more than 12 times next season. Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Jordan Poole, G, freshman: Poole was nothing short of electric and will be remembered for his winning 3-pointer as time expired against Houston in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He was a spark plug who could heat up in a hurry, change the complexion of the game and scored at least 10 points off the bench 10 times. He will be in for a bigger role next season and is the lead candidate to take over Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman’s spot in the lineup. Robin Buckson, Detroit News

Walk-ons C.J. Baird, Naji Ozeir, Rico Ozuna-Harrison, Luke Wilson and Brent Hibbitts: Baird provided the highlights with a 3-pointer to cap Michigan’s Sweet 16 win over Texas A&M and a block in the national semifinal game against Loyola-Chicago. Hibbitts, a junior, is the lone non-freshman of the group and played sparingly in the closing minutes of five nonconference contests this season. All five players made their mark behind the scenes as a member of the scout and practice team. Robin Buckson, Detroit News

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Michigan also will get a nice chunk of change from the NCAA basketball fund that provides money distributed to the conferences based on their performance in the tournament over a six-year rolling period. A conference can share the total evenly among its member programs but isn’t required to do so.

Last year, for instance, each program received about $1.7 million from that fund.

Norm O’Reilly, the chair of the department of sports administration at Ohio University, said that generally speaking, a run like the one Michigan’s basketball team enjoyed can drive increases in school applications and enrollment.

But for the more established athletic departments, like Michigan’s, something like this tournament success won’t impact enrollment. Maybe Michigan gains a few fans, but that’s probably about it, he said.

“There’s definitely a positive, but it’s probably muted,” O’Reilly said. “Don’t underestimate the academic brand. When you’re talking about Michigan, which already has a leading football team, and tons of leading (athletic) programs, it’s wonderful branding for the basketball program, but the institution is already known as an ultra-elite athlete school and academic school.

“The incremental benefit is modest, simply because they already have it.”

O’Reilly said it could potentially help in basketball recruiting as a recruit weighs Michigan among other finalists.

But Hirth said this basketball Final Four run was bigger in terms of merchandise sales than Michigan’s run five years ago. Why was that the case?

“A couple things – basketball is bigger now, and the ‘John Beilein Effect’ is in full swing,” said Hirth, who said the merchandise will be available for purchase during Saturday’s spring football game at the M Den Michigan Stadium location. “It’s not a surprise like it was five years ago. We’re good. We have a good basketball program now, and I think the Frozen Four component played a role. Fans were fired up.”